Mecca (2002) still remains as one of the best AOR albums of the past decade.Since the band finished a lengthy road trip in 2005, they have been ensconced way in darkened rehearsal rooms and recording studios slaving away on new material. Six years in the making, and finally the 2nd album, "Undeniable", is here.
So was the wait worth it?The answer is: Mecca's "Undeniable" is an AOR masterpiece.It's deep, creative, with layers of textures and clever arrangements. Years of studio time, re-recordings, re-arrangements paid off.
With perfect songwriting and incredible performances by truly session monsters, this album is what pure AOR is all about.
All tracks are marvelous, no need to pick highlights, all are fantastic.
To name afew, just listen numbers such as "From The Start", with its great twin lead section, the soaring title track and the riff heavy "Closing Time" with its quirky and restrained synth motif all hold the attention throughout.
And all truly great AOR records should have a true rock out number, and we have it on "W2W", a track that kicks off with a riff to die for and a shred solo blended into a song that sounds like Boston at their best.
And the ballads, ahh.. perfect ones. Just take the sublimely subtle picked riff on "Deceptive Cadence" or the crisp and crunchy backing on "Did It For Love" as a couple of examples, these are tracks that are well thought through, not by the numbers work outs thrown together.
1. Perfect World
2. Closing Time
3. Ten Lifetimes
4. Life's too Short
5. I Know
6. Did It for Love
7. From the Start
8. Deceptive Decadence
9. W2W
10. Undeniable
11. As I Walk Alone
Mecca – Undeniable (2011)
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